JP2004256090A - Sun-visor for open roof structure and open roof structure having sun-visor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sun-visor having an improved operability for a user. <P>SOLUTION: A roof structure has a flexible sun-visor screen 3 having one end wound around a taking-up cylinder 4 with a spring or that can be rewound and the other end having a drawing beam 5 arranged. There are provided two guides 6 each of which has a guide groove 7 for storing/guiding both right and left ends of the drawing beam 5 and for forming a guide surface 15 for expanding a screen 3. Both guides 6 extend along its entire length and further have at least partially flexible member projecting toward the guide surface 15 in order to engage with the drawing beam 5. The guide groove 7 stores right and left edges of the screen 3 and guides them. This flexible member comprises a main body 10 having U-shaped sectional shape provided with legs 11, 12 engaged with a plate-like portion 8 of the corresponding guide 6 at both sides, and a flexible lip 13 protruded toward the guide surface 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sunshade used in an open roof structure.

First, the present invention relates to a sunshade used in an open roof structure for an automobile, wherein one end of the sunshade can be wound around a spring-loaded winding cylinder or unwound from a spring-loaded winding cylinder. And at the other end a flexible sunshade screen provided with transversely extending draw beams, further for receiving and guiding the two left and right ends of the draw beams, and a sunshade screen Comprises two spaced longitudinally extending guides, each forming a guide groove for forming a guide surface for extending the guide surfaces, both guides extending substantially along the entire length of the guide. A sunshade having at least a partially flexible member projecting toward the guide surface for engaging with the pull beam. It is intended. Such a sunshade is known from US Pat.
EP-A-1,112,876

  When the known prior type of such sunshade is in the non-actuated (fully open) position, the sunshade screen is completely wound on a spring loaded winding cylinder. When the sunshade is to be placed in the actuated (fully closed) position, the pull beam is gripped by hand and then moved from a spring loaded winding cylinder where the flexible sunshade screen is unwound. With the sunshade in the desired position, the pull beam is locked to the guide. This previously known type of sunshade generally has two positions. That is, the fully open position (the sunshade screen is completely wound around the winding cylinder) and the completely closed position (the sunshade screen is completely unwound from the winding cylinder). The fully open position is formed by the abutment means against which the pull beam abuts, and the fully closed position is formed by the locking means engaging the pull beam.

  The above known sunshades have a number of disadvantages. First, the sunshade cannot be located at an intermediate position between the fully open position and the completely closed position. Next, when moving the sunshade screen from the fully closed position to the fully open position, the user must always hold the pull beam firmly. Otherwise, the pull beam attached to the sunshade screen will move uncontrollably towards this take-up cylinder due to the spring load of the take-up cylinder. Such uncontrolled movements lead to high loads and stresses, especially when the pull beam reaches its end position in the abutment means described above. The sunshade, known from the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 6,037,055 and identified by the most relevant prior art, engages at least partially a flexible member with a pull beam, and also provides uncontrolled operation of the pull beam and sunshade screen. Improvements to the previously known sunshades have already been made, such as to reduce drag and to generate frictional forces between the pull beam and the flexible member. The frictional force created between the at least partially flexible member and the puller beam, regardless of the force generated by the spring loaded winding cylinder, often holds the puller beam and sunshade screen in any desired position. Is enough. However, the frictional force created between the pull beam and the at least partially flexible member is only sufficient to deter uncontrolled movement of the pull beam and to completely stop the movement. It is considered insufficient.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an even more improved sunshade as specified in claim 1.

  Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a sunshade as specified in claim 1.

  A flexible member having such a U-shaped cross section can be easily attached to the plate-like portion of the guide. It can easily slide over the plate-like part. The flexible lip, which engages the pull beam, is a separate member attached to the body. However, it is also possible to form this flexible lip from the bent end of one leg of the body.

  In an embodiment, the flexible member projects substantially into the guide groove of the guide and thus functions very effectively.

  At least, the flexible lip is made from a flexible or elastic material. Because it has to work with the pull beams. However, in order to accommodate the plate-like portion of the guide between the legs in a gripped state, the main body is made of an elastic material so that the elasticity of the main body urges the two legs in the opposite direction. Is also possible. In such a case, it becomes significantly easier to attach the at least partially flexible member to the corresponding guide, and no or little additional means are required.

  However, in order to ensure a very strong connection between the at least partially flexible member and the corresponding guide, suitable means such as, for example, adhesives, screws, rivets and the like can be used.

  In a special embodiment of the sunshade according to the invention, the at least partially flexible member is attached to the upper end of the guide and projects downward in the direction of the sunshade screen.

  In this particular embodiment, the at least partially flexible member is disposed on the sunshade screen and the pull beam and contributes to the deterrence of dust, rainwater or other foreign matter between the guide and the sunshade screen. . Furthermore, in such an embodiment, the lower leg of the guide functions as a continuous guide for the pull beam and forms a support that defines a very precise position of the pull beam in the vertical direction. When the flexible member is attached to the upper end as well as to the lower and upper protruding lower portions, respectively (upper leg and lower leg respectively), such accurate pull beam position is not guaranteed.

  More generally, the at least partially flexible member can also prevent light from shining between the guide and the edge of the sunshade.

  The invention further relates to an open roof structure for a motor vehicle, comprising the sunshade according to the invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The figure shows an embodiment of the sunshade according to the invention.

  Referring first to FIG. 1, a portion of a motor vehicle roof is shown, in which an open roof structure with a roof opening 2 is provided. In a manner which is self-evident but not shown in detail, the roof opening 2 can be closed and opened by closing means which are movable in the longitudinal direction L of the motor vehicle. Such an open roof structure further comprises a flexible sunshade screen 3, as shown. The sunshade screen 3 can be wound at one end (rear end recognized in the longitudinal direction L) on a spring-loaded winding cylinder 4 or can be unwound therefrom. The other end (front end) of the flexible sunshade screen 3 comprises a pull beam 5 extending in the transverse direction T of the vehicle. In addition, the illustrated open roof structure comprises two longitudinally spaced apart guides 6 each forming a guide groove 7. The guide 6 accommodates and guides two parallel left and right edges of the sunshade screen 3 and two left and right ends of the pull beam 5. These guides 6 further form a guide surface 15 on which the sunshade screen 3 (and its pull beams 5) are extended.

  Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an enlarged cross section taken along line S--S of FIG. 1 showing the first embodiment of the present invention. The guides 6 comprise an upper plate-like portion 8 and a lower plate-like portion 9 which together form a guide groove 7 between themselves. As can be clearly seen, the left and right ends of the pull beam 5 are accommodated in the guide grooves 7.

  The at least partially flexible member has a body 10 with a substantially U-shaped cross section with two legs 11, 12 which engage the upper plate-like portion 8 of the guide 6 on opposite sides. A flexible lip 13 projecting toward the guide surface 15 is arranged on the U-shaped body 10 and is shown in this embodiment substantially in the guide groove 7 of the guide 6.

  The flexible member extends substantially along the entire length of the guide 6 (perpendicular to the paper in FIGS. 2 and 3). This means that only a small portion of the flexible lip 13, ie, the longitudinal portion of the flexible lip 13 at which the pull beam 5 is located at any one moment, engages the pull beam 5. In such a position, the flexible lip is in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. In other positions, the flexible lip 13 is in a position substantially as shown by the broken line in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the flexible lip 13 in a position not engaged with the pull beam 5 extends downward and is separated from the inner bottom surface of the guide groove 7. 7 may extend toward the inner bottom surface. The flexible lip 13 exerts a frictional force on the pull beam 5 so that, for example, the user can move the pull beam 5 from the fully closed position to the fully open position (from left to right in FIG. 1). Even when not firmly gripping, no uncontrolled movement of the pull beam 5 occurs. Otherwise, such uncontrolled movements may occur due to the effect of the spring member 14 (FIG. 1) of the spring loaded winding cylinder 4.

  Basically, only the lip 13 must be flexible. However, the body 10 itself can also be manufactured from an elastic material, so that the two legs 11, 12 hold the plate-like portion 8 of the guide 6 between them in a gripped state.

  Additional means such as, for example, adhesives, screws, rivets, etc. (not shown) may be provided to further enhance the connection between the body portion 10 and the plate-like portion 8 of the guide 6.

  FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the sunshade according to the invention. In this particular embodiment, the U-shaped body 10 'comprises legs 11', 12 'which accommodate the lower plate-like portion 9 of the guide 6 between them. The upper leg 12 'of the body 10' forms at its outer end a flexible lip 13 'which functions to correspond to the flexible lip 13 of the embodiment according to FIG.

  Of course, the flexible member according to the present invention can be disposed on the upper plate-like portion 8 as well as the lower plate-like portion 9 of the guide 6.

  If the frictional force provided by the flexible member is large enough, the pull beam 5 (and the flexible sunshade screen 3) may be located at any desired position between the fully closed position and the fully open position. Can be. Furthermore, the flexible lips 13, 13 ′ suppress unwanted vibrations of the pull beam 5 in the guide groove 7, which generate noise. Finally, the flexible lips 13, 13 'can prevent dust, rainwater or other foreign substances from entering between the guide 6 and the puller beam 5 and / or the flexible sunshade screen.

  The present invention provides a sunshade that is easy to manufacture, low cost, and has reduced manufacturing complexity.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be varied widely within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a part of an automobile provided with an open roof structure including a sunshade according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line SS of FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view by the SS line of Drawing 1 in a 2nd embodiment.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Roof 2 Roof opening 3 Sunshade screen 4 Winding cylinder 5 Pull beam 6 Guide 7 Guide groove 8 Upper plate-shaped part 9 Lower plate-shaped part 10,10 'Main body 11,12,11', 12 'Legs 13,13 '' Flexible lip 14 Spring member 15 Guide surface L Vehicle longitudinal direction T Vehicle lateral direction

Claims (5)

A sunshade used in an open roof structure for an automobile,
Flexible, one end of which can be wound on a spring-loaded winding cylinder or unwound from said spring-loaded winding cylinder, and the other end of which is provided with a transversely extending pulling beam Equipped with a perfect sunshade screen,
Further, two spaced longitudinal directions each accommodating and guiding two right and left ends of the draw beam, and each forming a guide groove for forming a guide surface for extending the sunshade screen. A guide extending to
Both guides
An at least partially flexible member extending substantially along the entire length of the guide and projecting toward the guide surface for engaging the puller beam;
The guide groove further accommodates and guides two parallel left and right edges of the sunshade screen,
Each of the at least partially flexible members comprises a body portion having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, comprising two legs engaging with corresponding plate portions of the guide on both sides, and the guide surface. A sunshade, wherein a flexible lip protruding toward the main body is disposed on the main body.   The main body portion is made of an elastic material, and the elasticity of the main body portion urges the two leg portions in the opposite direction to accommodate the plate-like portion of the guide between the leg portions in a gripped state. The sunshade according to claim 1, wherein the sunshade is provided.   The sunshade according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member substantially protrudes into the guide groove of the guide.   4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least partially flexible member is attached to an upper end of the guide and protrudes downward in the direction of the sunshade screen. 5. The sunshade described. An open roof structure for an automobile, comprising the sunshade according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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